I'm going to start building my EVA sport this week and I'm going to go and buy supplies for that today. I haven't built a balsa model in quite a while and wanted to know what you folks like to use to build with. What do you lay your plans on top of while building? I built a Midwest Aerostar years ago and I think I used wax paper on top of my plans with cork board under the plans for pinning parts down while gluing. I have a good straight level work bench to build the kit on. Got to get some thick and thin CA glue, pins, sharp blades for my xacto handle and some various grades of sandpaper. Am I forgetting anything?

time bandit

03-23-2014 01:24 PM

Okay I just realized there are no formal plans to build on top of. Very good illustrated instructions with photos of the build process.:tc:

Stevephoon

03-23-2014 02:00 PM

Hi Time Bandit! I hope you enjoy your EVA. I like mine a lot.

For the EVA, I think your list will be about all you need. You will need some pliers to bend push rods and small screwdrivers for mounting things.... I do like to build the tail feathers on a flat surface so you will need wax paper or some other thin plastic to build on. I actually like using left over covering backing better than wax paper. The plastic bag that the kit comes in would work well to build on as well. You will not need a cork-board to pin anything to. I do like the cutting mats as a building surface, but it's not needed with the EVA.

Good Luck! I think the Eva is a good 1st plane to build. It was my second build and it flies great even with a couple of small boo-boos that I did.

Steve

time bandit

03-23-2014 02:25 PM

I may refer back to the EVA builders if I hit a snag. However from scanning over the instructions the build seems pretty straightforward.

carpetbagger

03-23-2014 02:29 PM

I drop my drafting table flat and use 1" blue foam for pin sticky. I also build on blue foam on top of a hollow core door = big and flat! To keep glue off plans and foam I use parchment paper available at a food store, like Teeter or Food Lion. Forget wax paper, it ain't like wax paper back in the day and any type glue will stick to it. So far epoxy, Titebond, Sigment, and CA don't like parchment paper, build pops off fairly easy.

Tweezers are nice to have - I use kind that are shut and you have to squeeze to open. Lots of pins and small scraps of wood or you can cut up a plastic coffee can lid into tiny 1/4 x 1/4 or so pieces, jab pin thru it and then the plastic bit can hold balsa down with the pin next to the balsa rather then stuck thru it. Weights - I use "ducks" which are quite heavy and designed to hold a drafting spline in a curve, but for building I use them to hold tail feathers and the like flat when splicing them.

Not sure what an EVA is buildwise, all my builds are balsa, some ply and spruce, and tissue with a few foam core wings involved. Old school stuff . . .

time bandit

03-23-2014 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carpetbagger
(Post 943380)

I drop my drafting table flat and use 1" blue foam for pin sticky. I also build on blue foam on top of a hollow core door = big and flat! To keep glue off plans and foam I use parchment paper available at a food store, like Teeter or Food Lion. Forget wax paper, it ain't like wax paper back in the day and any type glue will stick to it. So far epoxy, Titebond, Sigment, and CA don't like parchment paper, build pops off fairly easy.

Tweezers are nice to have - I use kind that are shut and you have to squeeze to open. Lots of pins and small scraps of wood or you can cut up a plastic coffee can lid into tiny 1/4 x 1/4 or so pieces, jab pin thru it and then the plastic bit can hold balsa down with the pin next to the balsa rather then stuck thru it. Weights - I use "ducks" which are quite heavy and designed to hold a drafting spline in a curve, but for building I use them to hold tail feathers and the like flat when splicing them.

Not sure what an EVA is buildwise, all my builds are balsa, some ply and spruce, and tissue with a few foam core wings involved. Old school stuff . . .

The EVA (Extremely Versatile Aircraft) is a low wing sport plane as it arrives initially. Then you can purchase two more wing kits if you wish later. A shorter symmetrical wing for 3D and a kit for a bi-plane. Same fuse is used by sliding the different wings in and bolting them down. It's a laser cut balsa kit. It's designed and sold by Mountain Models.

thepiper92

03-23-2014 03:27 PM

The Eva will also likely have plywood for the landing gear areas. I wasn't happy with the thickness of balsa on trailing edge of wings on my p51, hope your EVA is better.

gramps2361

03-23-2014 03:39 PM

Myself I stopped using the CA glues except when I just use it to tack a larger piece that is being glued with wood glue. I switched over to the Tite bond II for building. I don't miss the glued fingers and fumes. Plus if you get any CA on the outside of the model good luck sanding it, cause it doesn't sand.
I use ceiling tiles from HD for building boards last a long time, and holds the pins well. Just buy the cheap 2x4 ceiling tiles.
I got lucky the gas station I go to was being gutted. They were throwing out the ceiling tiles made from 5/8 sheet rock I grabbed 4 of them for building on.
Take your time and enjoy the build.

carpetbagger

03-23-2014 03:49 PM

Indeed, gramps2161, CA is rarely used in my shop save for quick tack and split part repair. Lack of sandability and it is heavy. I switched to Titebond Original - sands a touch easier than Titebond II, and for parts I know are going to be shape sanded I go to Sigment.

time bandit

03-23-2014 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gramps2161
(Post 943386)

Myself I stopped using the CA glues except when I just use it to tack a larger piece that is being glued with wood glue. I switched over to the Tite bond II for building. I don't miss the glued fingers and fumes. Plus if you get any CA on the outside of the model good luck sanding it, cause it doesn't sand.
I use ceiling tiles from HD for building boards last a long time, and holds the pins well. Just buy the cheap 2x4 ceiling tiles.
I got lucky the gas station I go to was being gutted. They were throwing out the ceiling tiles made from 5/8 sheet rock I grabbed 4 of them for building on.
Take your time and enjoy the build.

Good idea on the ceiling tiles. This kit is designed to build fast but I always enjoyed building so I'm going to take it slow. I always got a sense of pride out of building from a box of sticks. The biggest I ever built were the Midwest Aerostar .40 nitro plane and a Carl Goldberg Sophisticated Lady that I slapped a tiny nitro motor on with a pod. I absolutely loved the SL that was a great glider.

thepiper92

03-23-2014 04:51 PM

For mountain model builds, parts are like puzzles, so just slotting them together on a flat surface is all you need. Wood glue is best also because it gives you time to adjust the pieces for at least 5 minutes

time bandit

03-23-2014 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thepiper92
(Post 943394)

For mountain model builds, parts are like puzzles, so just slotting them together on a flat surface is all you need. Wood glue is best also because it gives you time to adjust the pieces for at least 5 minutes

Yep since I'm going to take my time with the build. I rethought the CA route and decided to go with wood glue. Except in areas like the servo tray where it would benefit from hardening the balsa with thin CA.

Abuelo

03-23-2014 04:57 PM

+1 on the ceiling tile and +1 on Titebond.

The tile holds pins OK but you will need a separate board of some sort to do any cutting on. The tile cuts and breaks up very easily. Pin the plan down, wax paper over the plan, and build there. I contact cemented the tile to a plywood base (a former cabinet door) for rigidity.

Also use some 30 minute epoxy, sparingly, as needed as it adds weight quickly. I also have some 1/2 oz fiberglass cloth I use with the epoxy, going for the thinnest coating I can get while still wetting out the cloth. Use mostly around the nose for abrasion resistance and around the wing center sheeting.

Good luck, and photos please.

thepiper92

03-23-2014 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by time bandit
(Post 943395)

Yep since I'm going to take my time with the build I rethought the CA route and decided to go with wood glue. Except in areas like the servo tray where it would benefit from hardening the balsa wit thin CA.

No need for ca on servo trays either, wood glue is plenty. If you glue something, balsa will usually snap before the wood glue bond does. Also with servos, you can adjust the tray with wood glue so the servo fits. If you mess up spacing with ca, it won't be fun fixin it. I've always worked with wood glue when I did wood working in school (hope to do it again one day), and wood glue has an amazing bond.

thepiper92

03-23-2014 05:56 PM

Also, this plane is meant to be light, but if it were my build, I would like a tad more weight added from extra sheeting on wings and maybe fuse, especially on wings and front, which also adds strength and stiffness. You can add some sheeting further back but be careful of causing it to be tail heavy. The plane likely has a put together stick for motor mount made of plywood, so it can take a decent power input in case you decide to increase weight. You can reinforce where stick goes through with a bit of stringer pieces around the square holes if you want.

Wrongway-Feldman

03-23-2014 08:32 PM

I'm just putting the final touches on mine.
These laser cut kits I build on sheet of tempered glass from an old table.
Its the flattest thing I can think of using.
I actually started this build a year ago but ended up moving to another province.
Only just started getting time to build again.
My building skills are poor to say the least. She ain't pretty but she'll fly.

Wrongway-Feldman

03-23-2014 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thepiper92
(Post 943406)

Also, this plane is meant to be light, but if it were my build, I would like a tad more weight added from extra sheeting on wings and maybe fuse, especially on wings and front, which also adds strength and stiffness. You can add some sheeting further back but be careful of causing it to be tail heavy. The plane likely has a put together stick for motor mount made of plywood, so it can take a decent power input in case you decide to increase weight. You can reinforce where stick goes through with a bit of stringer pieces around the square holes if you want.

Sounds like you haven't built one. The sheeting on the wing is plenty. Once assembled the wing is extremely stiff. Nothing else needed.
OP , The kit come with both a built up ply wood stick mount and ply wood motor mount for a standard rear mount brushless. Both mounts bolt to the firewall.
You may also want to re in force where the landing gear mount. Seemed all little flimsy to me, I added some plywood to add some strength there.
The rear control surfaces are huge. Double and triple check everything is flat before you glue.
The aelerons are long and thin made from a sheet of balsa. Be careful that they don't warp if you decide to cover them.

zoltron55

03-23-2014 09:43 PM

another nice thing about wood glue is it is flexable. light hits do no damage

time bandit

03-23-2014 11:01 PM

Well I've started test fitting for the fuse build and I'm really impressed with the fit of these parts so far. I really like the way the kit was packed when it arrived also. Everything was neatly bundled and small hardware items were placed in a small ziploc type of bag. A very nice clear canopy and a good looking cowling will make the EVA look nice. I have no idea what color scheme I'm going to go with at the moment. I have a feeling I'm going to be buying more MM kits in the near future.:ws:

thepiper92

03-24-2014 02:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wrongway-Feldman
(Post 943415)

Sounds like you haven't built one. The sheeting on the wing is plenty. Once assembled the wing is extremely stiff. Nothing else needed.
OP , The kit come with both a built up ply wood stick mount and ply wood motor mount for a standard rear mount brushless. Both mounts bolt to the firewall.
You may also want to re in force where the landing gear mount. Seemed all little flimsy to me, I added some plywood to add some strength there.
The rear control surfaces are huge. Double and triple check everything is flat before you glue.
The aelerons are long and thin made from a sheet of balsa. Be careful that they don't warp if you decide to cover them.

Nope, I haven't built one, but from my experience with my P47, vs my P51, I like having something that is just plain beefy, and I don't mind the added weight myself. Sorry I didn't mean stiffness in terms of overall wing stiffness, but rather to the formers, allowing covering to take place easier I feel. The main spare is what will determine the overall stiffness really, kinda hard to explain what I am thinking, but to describe it, I can take the wing on my P51, toss it across the room and something will break, but the P47 wing, nothing will break. The extra sheeting stops any impact twisting. What is with the EVA is no doubt plenty, but I like more than plenty with my builds, for a couple reasons: I don't like really light planes due to the windier conditions here, and I prefer having something that won't snap the wing area from a slightly harder than usual landing (in terms of a plane with gear on the wings). I don't mean a really hard landing, but maybe one that isn't as quite delicate as usual. In general, where ever the landing gear is on a plane, that area needs reinforcement no doubt.

Good tips for time bandit though, I would really be worried about ailerons made from sheeting alone, in terms of covering them. My P51 was covered with solite and the trailing edge immediately warped as soon as covering began, and I mean as soon as any heat was applied. For sheeting, best bet would to be to lay down the covering over, and get it done with, don't go around adjust little areas, as heat in one place, especially close to edges, can warp instantly. This was sort of my issue with the solite, as it doesn't adhere easily, unless around an edge. Because of this, it was difficult to simply tack down, pull taut and add a tad bit of heat to shrink, and I was left to a loose covering, in which more heat was needed. Ultracoat is better for adhering, in my opinion, although that may be too much for the EVA.

time bandit

03-24-2014 01:19 PM

So your saying solite isn't the best covering material? I've never used it just monocoat in the past.????

Wrongway-Feldman

03-24-2014 01:25 PM

I used park lite on mine. Its quite a bit thinner and lighter than monokote. It is somewhat transparent though. When using white you can see the wood grain through it.
The nice thing about it is that it doesn't shrink as aggressively aa monokote and has a much lower tendency to warp delicate structures.

time bandit

03-24-2014 01:43 PM

MM sells solarfilm on their site. Is that the same as solite?

thepiper92

03-24-2014 02:15 PM

Monokote is the heaviest, and also shrinks the most. Not good for this build, could damage stuff. Some like solite, which is solarfilm on MM, but I hate it. It's hard to get off backing and I don't like how it adheres. I ran out of it on the p51 build and parts are ultracoat parklite. It adheres much better.

thepiper92

03-24-2014 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wrongway-Feldman
(Post 943468)

I used park lite on mine. Its quite a bit thinner and lighter than monokote. It is somewhat transparent though. When using white you can see the wood grain through it.
The nice thing about it is that it doesn't shrink as aggressively aa monokote and has a much lower tendency to warp delicate structures.

It depends on color. The blue parklite I have barely let's light through, but the red was disappointing in how transparent it was.